How to Become a Writer in Idaho with a BFA, MFA or Similar Creative Writing Degree

There really is no right or wrong way to unlock your creative powers. Hemingway would agree with that just as much as the most recent modern-day accomplished Idaho writers. So would the major modernist 19th-century poetry figure and Idaho-native Ezra Pound –acquaintance of Gertrude Stein among others– who also happened to meet Hemingway when he was just a young lad in Paris.

An incomplete list of Idaho’s greatest might start with Pound, move on to Hemingway, and include the likes of Jane Campbell Hale along with modern masters like Samuel D. Hunter and Tara Westover.

There’s either something in the water, or there’s something special about the writers from Idaho.

Idaho’s Creative Writing Classes, Courses, and Workshops Can Prepare You for a Creative Writing Degree

The secret to fine-tuning a writer’s creative journey can be controversial. What’s less so is the Juilliard equivalent to practice, practice, practice: write, write, write.

Feedback from experience, the blood and sweat of writing, happens in coffee shops, on college campuses, at open mic nights, and yes, maybe even at your local beverage-serving establishment.

The Cabin is a literary arts non-profit organization in Boise that puts on readings, sponsors events, promotes local authors, hosts lectures, and more. For those with a hopeful eye to the future, The Cabin also runs summer camps for tomorrow’s writers in grades three through nine.

Write Path is a Boise-based organization promoting an environment where the writer is completely unencumbered and free from the barbs of critics and editors. It’s that kind of mythical place where creative expression is maximized without compromise; a no-barrier all-are-welcome place to appreciate creative writing for the sake of appreciating creative writing. Retreats, poetry therapy, journaling groups, creative writing groups, lecture series, and workshops are all included under its big-tent approach.

The Idaho Creative Authors Network (ICAN) is another potential resource for aspiring local authors. Its three founding directors pledge to offer help with the business-end of writing. The organization can additionally be a resource for networking among writers in the greater Treasure Valley.

Depending on when you catch them, Blue Sage Writers of Idaho can also serve as a valuable resource. When in session, it’s a group of Idaho writers ranging from the ultra-experienced to the green-of-horn.

Local Idaho publishers include: